Tropical Storm Melissa moved slowly across the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, posing a threat of hazardous landslides and life-threatening floods to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — the shared island of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm caused a fatal incident in southern Haiti where a large tree fell, killing an elderly man in Marigot, while five others sustained injuries due to flooding in the central Artibonite region, as reported by the Civil Protection Agency. Authorities advised residents in flood-prone areas to relocate to higher ground.
Located approximately 345 kilometers southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 440 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the sluggish storm boasted maximum sustained winds of 80 km/h and was moving northwest at 7 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. A hurricane watch was issued for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, extending from the Dominican Republic border to Port-au-Prince. Additionally, a tropical storm warning was in effect for Jamaica.
Melissa was projected to linger over open waters but draw nearer to Jamaica and southwestern Haiti later in the week. Forecasts indicated a significant strengthening of the storm by late Friday and over the weekend. Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, warned that the storm’s slow movement over warm waters could lead to rapid intensification, potentially escalating to a Category 5 hurricane.
Barbara Campbell, a resident of Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, expressed concerns over the impending storm, stating her preparations and worries. In response to the looming threat, Jamaica readied 881 shelters as a precautionary measure, closed courts, switched schools to online classes, and positioned 1,000 sandbags in eastern Kingston to mitigate potential flooding.
Evan Thompson, director of Jamaica’s Met Service, highlighted the risk of up to 30 centimeters of rain in the island’s eastern region, emphasizing the importance of vigilance amid the significant rainfall. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic witnessed several individuals seeking refuge in shelters, with closures of schools, businesses, and government offices in nine provinces under alert.
The storm’s trajectory raised alarms in Haiti due to its vulnerability to natural disasters compounded by erosion, gang violence, poverty, and governance challenges limiting preparedness efforts. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs allocated $4 million US to aid over 10,000 vulnerable individuals in Haiti ahead of the storm, focusing on evacuation support, cash transfers, emergency shelter management, and hygiene kits.
Tropical Storm Melissa marked the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the first to originate in the Caribbean this year. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had anticipated an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms, including five to nine hurricanes, among which two to five could be major hurricanes with winds exceeding 178 km/h. The Atlantic hurricane season is active from June 1 to November 30.